Working for the Karnstein's
by K762
Summary: Carmilla AU: Laura is hired to work for the Karnstein's
1. Chapter 1

This is a Carmilla AU set in the 1950's, sorry if some things aren't accurate, I'm not quite a historian:) Please enjoy!

Chapter 1

Laura arrived at the huge mansion her car had pulled up at and scrambled in her bag, pulling out the advertisement she had received that told her there was a job vacancy as a house keeper at the Karnstein residence, she had not quite expected such a grand place, although their was certain rumours of those who lived there but Laura had put them down to rumours. She had only managed to close her mouth as she slowly edged towards the house and the pulling away of the car that drove her made her startled and she ran towards the door, knocking once, then twice. She waited only twenty seconds before the door opened and an old man appeared, he looked in his 70's and had an empty look on his face, like he was staring right through her.

"Um...hello sir, are you the owner of this house?" She stuttered, her hands were shaking and she wasn't sure why

"No, I most certainly am not, I am the butler, and who are you?" He looked from her shoes to the top of her head, the empty look staying and she suddenly felt very self-conscious

"My name is Laura...Laura Hollis, I'm here about the house keeper flyer you sent me, I'm here for a job?" She smiled and he was silent for a moment before stepping to the side and letting her enter. She took a few steps in and her mouth opened once again, at the grandness of the house, it was wonderful and the most spectacular scene Laura had ever witnessed, there was such riches that she could only ever dream of and even then she could not have imagined such beauty in one room, even with all the curtains closed.

"I will get the mistress of the house, once you close your mouth" He smiled at her and she blushed, taking her hand to push her chin up. As he walked out, she went further into the room, going up to a table with framed photographs on. There were many faces but one stood out clearly, a young girl, about Laura's age, black hair and piercing eyes, a malicious smirk on her face, Laura realised that out of all the faces on these photographs, she was most anxious to meet that one.

"Miss Hollis?" She heard a stern voice and jumped around immediately, stood in front of her was the women who was on the large painting in the centre of the room, she had blonde hair in a tight bun, and beautiful orange, almost red eyes.

"Yes ma'am" Laura was shaking, and held out her hand "Nice to meet you"

"I'm sure" She looked at Laura's hand, but did not meet it, forcing Laura to return it back to her side "You will start work at once, and have only Sunday's off, I expect you to finish work at 10 o'clock and start at 6 o'clock, are we understood?"

Laura would usually be disgusted at someone talking to her in such a forceful, horrible way, but Laura was desperate for money and this job was all she had "Yes, I won't let you down"

"I will do quick introductions to my family, and then you will most likely not see any of us at all, you stay out the way, do you understand? and your supplies are in the room furthest to the left on the second floor"

"Um...yes, ma'am" Laura nodded and the women quickly took out a whistle and blew as hard as she could, an ear piercing noise coming from it, so bad that Laura had to cover her ears. When she looked up, four people stood in front of her, all staring at her, with dark, intense eyes. Except one, who was a little girl, and grinned, a cute and innocent smile

"Hi sugar, my name is William, but you can call me Will" He smirked and looked Laura up and down, licking his lips

"Hello, my name is Alice, I'm seven" She pulled a flower from behind her back and walked up to Laura, handing it to her

"Thank you very much Alice" Laura grinned, placing the flower carefully in her hair

"Hello, my name is Rosemary, I'm Alice's twin" She too, pulled out a flower and slowly walked up to Laura, but this time, when Laura took it in her hands, it manifested into a dirty, mud ridden worm and Laura squealed, dropping it on the floor, causing Rosemary and Will to burst into laughter, but quickly went quiet when their mother gave them a glare.

"My name is not important, you can call me madam" Said the women from earlier, and Laura nodded, taking it all in, still in shock from the worm

"This is an awfully big house for four people" Laura let slip out of her mouth and she quickly regretted it

"My daughter, Carmilla is not available right now, you will probably meet her at a later time, as for the rest of my family, they live away" She snapped, before turning away "Now get on with your job" As quickly as they had appeared they were gone, leaving Laura in an empty room again.

Laura picked up the bags she had been carrying and slowly made her way up the flights of stairs, racking her brain to try and remember where she had told her to go to find her cleaning supplies "Seconds floor...farthest room on the left...or was it the right...no, most definitely left...right?" She repeated until she made the hasty decision to go into the right door, barging through.

"Excuse me?! Who in god's name are you?!" The young lady who was sitting at the edge of her bed, screamed at Laura and she quickly closed the door again, falling back against it breathlessly. Carmilla. She had just met Carmilla.

Hope you liked the first chapter! Please leave a comment on what you think!:)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After getting over the shock of making the worst impression in the world, Laura entered the correct room and looked at what was set out for her. The average things needed to clean, and to look after the house and then an outfit, which made Laura's eyes widen. It was a simple black dress, which would make her fit in with the rest of the Karnstein family, and a white apron, however the dress was scandalously short and she could just see her father's red face if he saw ever her In such a risky outfit. But he wouldn't and when she put it on, she loved how she looked, despite what her father would think. She looked at herself up and down in the long mirror that was on the wall and she nodded at herself, a smile creeping up on her face "I will certainly fit in". While she was putting her black shoes on, she heard a knock on the door "Come in" She said and the door swung open and Carmilla was on the other side. Close up, Laura realised she looked like a celebrity she had seen in a movie once, but she couldn't put her finger on who it was. Every part of her was perfect, scarily perfect and she made Laura's heart race, but Laura put that down to fear.

"Before I came in, what did I do?" Carmilla questioned Laura with a frown

"You...you knocked" Laura looked to the floor and it was only when she heard Carmilla getting closer that she looked up again, and when she did, she was a hands length away from her

"Yes, and if you ever come into my room without knocking again...well...it wouldn't be pretty" Carmilla raised her hand and placed it so she was cupping Laura's chin "Do you understand, pretty girl?" Laura was terrified and speechless so she just nodded and it was only when Carmilla smirked, and left the room, closing the door behind her that Laura's face began to burn and she felt like punching a wall. She knew she would hate this job, and there was nothing she could do about it.

-Later that night-

Laura had spent the whole day on the bottom floor, sweeping the floors, then mopping them, then dusting, then polishing and this went on for hours, every room took at least an hour, and Laura knew there was more than twenty rooms in the house she had to get through every day. If that wasn't bad enough, Rosemary, who Laura quickly found out was the evil twin, went out of her way to make Laura's first day a nightmare. She had jumped out on her from every doorway, and spilt a bucket of mud all over the newly washed carpet and placed a frog in her bag when she wasn't looking. Alice did her best to apologise on behalf of her sister, but after the seventh trick, all she did was watch from the stairs, hoping her sister would not take things too far.

"Why must you make my day so bad?" Laura asked calmly, after putting out five worms from the lunch she had packed "Haven't you got school? Or A TV to watch?"

"Because we hate you and want you to leave" Rosemary smirked, stepping out from the doorway she was hiding behind "Mother is hiring someone to teach us and no, mother doesn't allow the tv"

"Why do you hate me? We only met a couple of hours ago, you might like me" Laura had put up with enough today to get angry or upset

"I know I wont, I can just tell that your...your cow dung" Rosemary spat and Alice giggled from the stairs

"Well, I'm the best cow dung there is, and I'm pretty funny, and I'm going to be spending a lot of time around here, so you should try and be nice to me, and see if we can be friends" Laura pushed her lunch bag to the side, realising there was no way she could eat anything from it now

"I would rather eat worms" Rosemary smiled and then turned away, running into the garden, leaving muddy footprints behind her

"Well done for trying" Alice said from the stairs and Laura looked up at her "I would like to be friends with you"

"I would like that very much, Alice" Laura smiled and before she could say anything else, The woman of the house came down the stairs, causing Alice to run back up them, like she was scared of her.

"Laura, I have just been informed that we will be having two more members of staff joining our team shortly, so I have assigned jobs for you all, when they arrive I will give them to you" She announced and as she did, the doorbell rang, and the butler appeared from the kitchen, opening the door. Two women walked in, both with ginger hair, both were beautiful in a strange way.

"Hello, nice to meet you both" Laura stood up and dusted off her dress, thrusting her hand out to them, smiling.

"Lafontaine, it's a pleasure to meet you" She shook her hand tightly and firmly and when Laura stuck her hand out to the second lady, she brought her in for a hug, that lasted longer than she had expected

"Hello, I'm Perry, It is lovely to meet you" She finally said once they separated

"I apologise on behalf of Perry here" Lafontaine smiled and I laughed and was about to speak before the lady of the house interrupted

"Well, I hope you've all enjoyed your introductions" She said sharply "I have lots of things to do, so I shall say this once. Perry, you are in charge of cooking and cleaning inside the house, meals are at 7am and 9pm so you will be expected to stay here as a full time staff member, which you accepted in your applicant. Lafontaine, you are in charge of teaching the children from 9am to 2pmevery day, and you are also in charge of maintaining the gardens. And Laura, since the others are here now, your job is to simply care for the children and give them something to do when they're not being taught, you put them to bed, and wake them up of a morning, and they will be in your care, this involved Carmilla, that will be all, thank you" Laura's stomach did flips, not only did she have to put up with the terror twin, but she had to cope with Carmilla, her life was on a never-ending slope downwards "Oh-and one more things, you will see and hear lots of strange things in this household, so keep your mouth closed and watch out for things that go bump in the night"

After the three ladies watched her leave, they all turned to each other, their eyes wide and Laura watched as Perry wrapped her hand in her friend's "Laf, I'm terrified, is she always that...intense?" She asked and I nodded

"You'll have me, and don't worry, I'll stay over with you so you don't have to be on your own" Laf carefully whispered to Perry and she smiled

"We better get to work then!" Perry smiled, snapping out of her traumatized state "Good luck, especially you Laura"

...Yaaayyy, second chapter! What do we think? Let me know, and what you think should happen next!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Laura's POV

Do you ever wonder what hell is like? My father who screams at me for even saying that four letter word and yet I have recently came to realise that I am in it, this is it, I am stuck in a horrible, terror of a hell. Hell. Hell. Hell. My friends are off in the world, going to the movies and dancing and having fun, and I am working for a family that seems to be stuck in last century.

"Laura, you realise your never going to get her into bed" Alice sighed from her bed, as she read her book

"Yes, thank you for your input to the situation Alice, really helping" I snapped and I grabbed for Rosemary as she jumped from bed to bed "Rosemary, please, I'm begging you, please, go to bed, please"

"Never!" She laughed, as she jumped from her bed to Alice's bed once more, but this time, her foot slipped and she ended up falling on her face, whacking her arm against the bedside cabinet. I rushed over, and picked her up, cradling her in my arms and using my hand to lift up her face. She had her eyes closed but she was still breathing, good sign. I rocked her in my arms as Alice watched on, curiously. I waited until Rosemary's eyes started to flicker open and when they slowly opened, she let out a soft "Ow". She leant into my chest, before looking up at me and after a second her eyes bolted open and she pushed me away from her, standing up and rushing over to her bed, confused and angry by my affection.

"Does your arm hurt?" I asked and she shook her head, pulling her covers over her head "Goodnight then, sleep tight, Alice, turn your light out when your ready to sleep" She nodded and I left the room, closing the door silently and as I turned around, Carmilla was standing in front of me and made me squeak in fright. "Oh my gosh, you can't just sneak up on people, I could have had a heart attack" I breathed quickly and she laughed

"You gonna' tuck me up in bed now? Its way past my bedtime" She winked and my heart raced

"I'd rather not, after you threatened me" I said, my courage building and she smirked at my answer

"Well then, if you wouldn't mind moving aside, I'd like to see my little sisters"

"Noooo way, i've only just got Rosemary to get into bed, if you go in there and get them all excited and naughty again, I'll have to do it all over again" I groaned

"I just want to say goodnight to them, look I'm not arguing with you, let me in" She pushed past me and I squeezed my fists together and scrunched my face up, annoyed. She closed the door behind her and I put my ear to the door, listening in and waiting for her to start to tell them how they were all going to plot my next prank but instead something totally different.

"Good night my little angels, I love you both very much" Carmilla said softly "You'll have to get used to the new schedule, I know sleeping in the night is total bullshit, but we have to, just for now, for mother, okay? Sweet dreams" I stood away from the door as she walked out and she just gave me a quick side glance "See? Maybe I'm not as bad as you think" She says, before walking away and I wanted to apologise, but It wouldn't come out, instead I just watched her leave. I looked at the clock and realised my car will be here in ten minutes, so I quickly pack my things and run out the door, hopping into the car who takes me home, but not before I looked up at the house and saw Carmilla looking through one of the windows, right at me.

The next day when I arrived, I put on my uniform, which was more appropriate for my new title as children carer. A collared red dress, with white spots, the lady of the house must have left them out for me, and the material was extrememly silky and beautiful, more expensive than any of my clothes at home. I then went to the kitchens to see Laf and Perry, who were both singing 'baby its cold outside' which was quietly playing on the radio. Perry was making breakfast and Lafontaine was trying to distract her by grabbing her waist and dancing her about.

"Hey Laura!" Lafontaine smiled, taking hold of my hand and spinning me around, dancing to the music, when it stopped, I took a seat and Perry came and sat next to us, putting her hand on my knee

"Laura, what's a young girl like you, doing in such an old stingy place like this, aren't you supposed to be in school?" Perry asked

"My father's ill, so I dropped out of school to look after him, and now I'm working to get money for us both, what about you two?"

"Oh dear, I'm so very sorry. Well me and Laf have just graduated, so we are getting into the world of work! Our families have the motto of get married, have kids and be a classic housewife, but we don't want that, so were sticking together"

"I like the sound of that" I giggled and we continued to talk about our backgrounds before we heard a bell ringing from upstairs

"Really? A bell...What era do they think were in?" Lafontaine laughed "I think your being called, Laura" I stood up and sighed, walking up the stairs until I got to the source of the bells, the lady of the house was sat at her desk, signing papers and as I got to her door, she looked up and frowned

"You need to be quicker when I call you, I could have been dying" She shouted and I nodded, slightly shaking from fear, there was something about her that made me want to run ten miles "Go wake up the children" I nodded again and then scuttled out the room, closing the door behind me

I woke up Alice first, then slowly made my way over to Rosemary and tapped her, took a few steps back, then tapped her once more, she sat upright immediately, with a glare on her face, that made even Alice jump back.

"I'll be back in a few minutes...um...be sure to be up and dressed by the time I get back, were going on a little bit of an adventure today, after Lafontaine's schooling, of course" I smiled and quickly left, making my way up to Carmilla's bedroom. I stood outside, and knocked once, twice and then a third time on the door, before hearing a groan from inside, I opened the door and made my way over to her windows, opening the curtains wide and she groaned even louder, diving under her covers.

"Oh good, you again" She said and I giggled "I'm so glad your here, so very glad" I could hear the sarcasm in her voice, even from under the covers

"You have two choices today, you could come on a super fun adventure with me and your little sisters, or be boring and lazy and stay in bed all day" I smiled and she slowly poked her eyes out from under the covers "We got off to a bad start, with you threatening my life and all of that, so let's just start fresh, I forgive you"

"You...forgive me?" She blinked at me

"Yes, I'm being the better person" I said confidently

"Unbelievable" Carmilla rolled her eyes and slowly got up from her bed, only wearing her short sleeping wear, showing off her chest and legs and I couldn't help but stare, which was completely inappropriate, and the more I told myself how inappropriate it was, the more I looked "Are you going to leave to let me get dressed or are you going to watch me do that too?" My eyes snapped to the floor and my face must have turned the reddest of red as I left the room because I could hear her chuckling as I walked away

"Be ready at 3" I stuttered and rushed out, completely embarrassed. I stayed in the kitchen for the rest of the day with Perry, while Lafontaine taught them in the small study room. When they were finished, I got the children washed and dressed and put them in the most adorable polka-dot dresses, one white, one black. I put Alice's hair in a pretty ponytail with a bow in, Rosemary insisted on doing her own hair, so a messy bun it was, I brought them both downstairs, and told them to sit while I went into the kitchen to get our picnic from Perry. As I walked through the corridor, admiring the pictures on the wall, I felt two strong hands grab either sides of my shoulder and I started to be dragged into the closet, I let out a squeal and was even more terrified when Will's face appeared in the darkness.

"You, look great today" He smirked as he put his hand round my waist and pulled me into his body "I could eat you all up" I used both of my hands to gently push him away from me

"Thank..thank you, very much Will, as much as I'd like to stay and chat... I have to go" My heart was thumping in my chest and I reached for the door and I was worried that he was going to drag me back but he let me out, and I quickly made my way to the kitchen, composing myself.

...

-Uh ohhhh, Will is bad news! Hope your liking the story:)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I sat with the twins in the hall, and looked at my watch, Carmilla was late, of course. After twenty minutes, I decided enough was enough and stormed up to her room, and as my fist banged against the door, it swung open and Carmilla stood in front of me. She wore a black dress, with a black sun hat and cute little black shoes, she looked incredible. "I'm ready" She smugly smiled and slinked past me, her perfume wrapping itself around me.

"There is a gorgeous park around here, its totally secluded and lovely and we will have a picnic and feed the ducks and have fun, okay?" I said, trying to hide the desperation in my voice as we walked forward, myself in front, the twins behind me and Carmilla at the back, who was purposefully trying to walk as slow as possible. When we reached the little park, I put down the large blanket I had picked up from one of the rooms in the house and sat on top, and the girls sat down with me, a smile on Alice's face and a frown on both Rosemary and Carmilla's faces.

"You could at least try and have fun" I smiled and they both gave me the same deathly stare, that said 'I hate you' in 50 different ways. I pulled out the radio I had brought and put it on the grass, I then gave out the food and we all sat under the sun, in silence listening to the songs play, it wasn't until 'taking the 'a' train' came on and Alice started quietly singing, a beautiful elegant voice came out of such a sweet and small being, I had to pinch myself to make sure It was definitely her. "You have an amazing voice Alice, it's really incredible!" I smiled and she giggled "You should sing more"

"Mother doesn't allow us to sing in the house, in fact she doesn't allow us to do anything fun" Alice pouted "But you will, wont you Laura!"

"Of course, I want to enjoy myself as much as you do!" I insisted and Carmilla raised an eyebrow

"Why did you come in for this job? I assume someone the same age as me would be at school, and doing fun things, not caring for children"

"Well, I'm here under circumstances, and I hope soon, we can all be friends and it wont be so much of a job" I smiled at Carmilla and she just stared back, like she was trying to look into my soul "What do you think?"

"I think your stupid" Rosemary stuck her tongue out and then lay herself back, putting her hands behind the head

"Of course you do" I muttered, and took a bite of my sandwich looking up at the now smirking Carmilla

After we ate, I took Alice over to feed the ducks that were swimming in the small pond by the park, and she giggled when they swam right up and took the bread out of her hand. "They like me!" She grinned and took another chunk of bread from the basket, throwing it to the other ducks on the other side "I'm sharing it out, so they all get some"

"Why don't you give one to the black one, it looks lonely" I suggested and she started to laugh

"It's Carmilla" She chuckled and threw a large piece over to it "She needs a lot to make her happy"

"So tell me, is Carmilla always so quiet and mean, or does it take a while for her to warm up to people?" I asked and Alice put a hand to her chin, in thought

"Well, the people who come to work for us, leave after only a short while, so I don't think she gets to know them very well" Alice was twirling her blonde hair in her hand and then quickly looked up at me, in shock at what she had just said

"What do you mean they leave? Why?"

"Oh...well...um" She looked from me, to her sisters and then ran over to them, leaving me completely confused

We stayed in the park for a couple more hours, and it was only until it started raining that we packed everything up and ran back to the house, myself with Alice on my back and Carmilla with Rosemary on hers. When we got back, I took Alice and Rosemary upstairs to get them out of their wet clothes and Carmilla went back to her room, of course. When they were dried and in fresh clothes, I took them back downstairs, perfect timing for their dinner. I took the children down to the dining room, but went into the kitchen to have my own food, Perry had set out a table for us to eat at, and the food was delicious and as we ate Laf told us funny stories and Perry told us of places she would love to travel.

"Nope, never been!" I bit down into the sandwich and they both looked at me with shocked expressions "I've just never gotten the chance to go to the movies!"

"We are definitely taking you! As soon as we get a day off that is, which could be never, for all we know"

"I have Sundays off, you should ask her if you do too" I suggested and they both shook their heads

"I am trying to purposefully stay out of her way, I'll just wait until she tells me to leave" Perry giggled nervously and we both nodded In agreement and then sat in a comfortable silence until I heard the bell again. As I walked out of the kitchen, once again, I was dragged into the room I was previously dragged into and was once again met by the devilish face of Will.

"Look, I really have to go Will, and you know you can just talk to me in the corridor, you don't have to pull me into a small closet every time you want to see me" I rolled my eyes and he held my hips tight

"How about I come speak to you in your room, later on?" He smiled and I gulped

"I would rather you didn't" I quickly left the room, and ran down the corridor, my heart pounding.

...

please leave a comment and let me know what you think!:)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been three months now, that I had been working for the Karnstein's and thankfully, things have gotten a little easier. Although Rosemary still never listens to a word I say, she has stopped putting worms in my shoes, which is a big step, I suppose. Earlier today, I took the three girls to the market, and allowed them to pick out an extra treat, of course, when we arrived back home, Carmilla tipped her backpack over to reveal she had shoved a whole jar of candy in her bag while the shop owner wasn't looking. I tried to shout at them for it, I really did but then Alice pulled out a red rose she had taken from a stall and gave it to me and I couldn't be angry at them anymore. I know, I'm a push over. So, we spent the rest of the day eating candy and listening to Carmilla's records, and Rosemary even let me brush her hair, so yes, today was a good day.

"Do you read a lot?" Carmilla looked up from her book and nodded, popping another red candy into her mouth

"Yep"

"What's your favourite? Mine's Alice in wonderland!" I smiled and she rolled her eyes

"Of course it is, and I don't really have a favourite, I suppose anything by Oscar Wilde, but I can't imagine you've read any of his" She sneered

"Well...maybe I have" I snapped back and she just laughed, going back to her book.

"You realise you have to put them to bed now?" Carmilla lazily looked up at me, and then over to the girls who were dancing, crazily around the room

"Oh crap, who's idea was it to give them a crazy amount of sugar?" Groaning, I stood to my feet and slowly made my way over to them "Girls, I know we've had a good day, but I think it's time we go to sleep, don't you?" Both of their eyes met mine, and they looked at each other, grins on their faces, and then both darted in opposite directions out of the room, giggling as they went. "Girls!"

"Good luck, Laura" Carmilla smirked as she made her way out of the room, but as she did I quickly ran and grabbed her hand

"Please help me, your mom will be furious if they're disturbing her and not going to sleep and if she finds out I gave them so much candy...Oh my gosh, she's going to go crazy!" I babbled and held onto her hands, begging her.

After a pause, she rolled her eyes "Fine. I'll go look upstairs and look, you stay down here"

"Thank you!" I started in the kitchen and then made my way through the house, running into each room and looking in every cupboard or closet they could be hiding in, when I reached the dining room, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of black and I ran in that direction "This isn't funny girls, come out right this instant!" As I opened the door that led to the hallway, Alice was stood at the very end, grinning at me.

"Come catch me!" She giggled and then sped off again, quicker than I had ever seen anyone run before, I stood in confusion for a minute until I felt as hand on my shoulder and as I turned around, I was met with Carmilla, holding a sleeping Rosemary in her arms

"She fell asleep as soon as I picked her up" She laughed, and it was the first time I had seen Carmilla genuinely smile, it lit up her whole face and made her look even more beautiful than when she was frowning. "Managed to find Alice?"

"Yes! But she ran away like a crazy person, I don't think I can catch her" I groaned

"It's okay, you take Rosemary up and I'll catch Alice, see you up there" She smiled and carefully handed me Rosemary before speeding off to find Alice. I slowly walked up the stairs, and into the girl's bedroom, taking off her day clothes and putting on her night gown and then tucked her into bed. A short while after, Carmilla returned with Alice by her side, who's eyes were drooping and she was holding her stomach "I don't feel very well Laura" She groaned and slowly toddled over to me, I pulled her up and sat her on my knee, wrapping my arms around her.

"I think I was very naughty today giving you so much candy" I sighed and she looked up at me, a little smile appearing

"I had a very good day though, thanky-" As she was speaking, she quickly turned herself to face me and threw up all over my clothes. Once she had finished, she looked up at me, tears in her eyes "I'm sorry" I had to pause for a while, to make sure I didn't puke myself, but once my stomach calmed down, I slowly stood up and took her hands.

"It's okay, don't cry!" I smiled "Let's get this all cleaned up" It wasn't until I heard chuckling by the doorway I realised Carmilla hadn't left and she was laughing at the puddle of puke on my lap

"Carmilla, would you please take Alice to the washroom, I'll give her a bath and change her clothes, just get her out of those dirty ones, I'm just going to try and rub this off" I calmly said and she nodded, still trying to hold in chuckles.

I stood up, holding up the sick in my skirt and rushed to the kitchen, hoping Perry could clean this out, or I would have to stay in sick smelling clothes all night. Lafontaine laughed, of course, when she saw me, but Perry rushed me quickly over to the sink and poured the sick out, scrubbing at my dress however, it wouldn't come off and the smell was horrendous.

"I'm sorry honey, but your going to have to change out of that" Perry was holding her nose and Lafontaine had to leave the room, the smell was so bad.

"I don't have any other clothes, I came here in these!" I groaned "I guess, I'm just staying in these" I had to quickly rush back up to the washroom and when I walked in, Carmilla had already started bathing Alice, sponging her hair delicately.

"Laura, you stink" Carmilla complained

"Thank you so much for making me feel so much better, I couldn't wash it out, and I don't have any other clothes, so sorry, you'll have to put up with my stink" I spat "Here, I'll finish her, you can go to bed now" Carmilla nodded and left, and after I finished washing Alice, I got her into her new night dress and into bed, sitting by the side of her for a while to make sure she didn't puke again.

"Uh, Laura?" I turned around and Carmilla was stood in the doorway "Are you staying over tonight?"

"Yep, told my dad I needed to watch the girls, I think it's a good chance Rosemary could be sick too, Why?"

"I've um, left you some clothes upstairs" She mumbled

"You did?" I couldn't help but let a smile creep on my face

"I didn't want you stinking the place out, that's all" _Sure_. I wonder when Carmilla will admit to herself that she can be a good person sometimes. We went into her bedroom, and on her bed were black pyjama's, silky and soft. "Sorry I didn't have any girly ones"

"These are perfect, thank you" I looked up at her and she awkwardly smiled back "Do you mind if I get changed here?"

"Um, sure, whatever" She mumbled and I watched as she turned away, going to her bookshelf and looking through the shelves, I took off my puke dress, and put on her pyjamas, which were a little too long for my legs, but I wasn't complaining.

"How do I look?" I grinned, doing a twirl and she raised an eyebrow

"Really stupid, now get out of my room" She smirked, handing me a book "This is to read, in case you get bored or whatever, watching two kids sleep all night must be pretty boring"

"I'd hug you, but I know you'd hate it, so thank you, very much Carmilla" I smiled and walked back to the girls room, sitting in the rocking chair and opening the book _Alice in wonderland. _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After reading, and then re-reading the book, I let myself fall asleep in the creaky armchair. The first time I woke up, it was because Alice was tapping my shoulder, her face was pale and she pointed to the sick bowl I had left out by her bed, which was now full. After emptying it and getting her back to sleep, It only took two seconds before I was asleep again myself. The second time I woke up, the room had gotten uncomfortably more cold, and I was shivering so I got up and tried to look around for a blanket, but returned unsuccessful in fear of waking someone in the house up. The third time I woke up, was around 6am and I realised that I had been covered with a quilt and a pillow had been placed under my head.

I let myself enjoy the warmth of the mysterious quilt before I heard high-heeled footsteps behind me, I turned around in the chair slowly and Mrs Karnstein towered above me. "Thank you for staying with the children last night, I heard they had been quite sick"

"Yes, but I'm sure they'll be okay today, I was planning to take them to a museum" I smiled and she shook her head

"I'm afraid not, we are having a few guests over this evening, very important people and I'll be expecting you to stay again tonight as the children will be having a late bedtime"

"No problem" I smiled and she nodded, looking me up and down before walking out again and closing the door behind her.

-Later that evening-

Mrs Karnstein had set out what she wanted the children to wear for their gathering tonight and their dresses looked like they were from some sort of Victorian story book and were more elegant and more expensive than any of the clothes I had ever wore put together. Alice was all in white, with a beautiful hair band running through her golden hair and Rosemary was dressed in purple, with a black ribbon that held her hair up in a ponytail. As I was going to be escorting the children in and out of the room where all of the guests would be, Mrs Karnstein had me in floral tea dress and she even said I could keep it afterwards, there are some perks of this job. After I had finished tying the ribbons in the back of the girls' dress, I took a look at them, telling them both how beautiful they looked and Alice grinned, twirling around the room. "Do you think our guests will like us?" Rosemary asked shyly, sitting next to me on her bed

"Of course they will, what's not to like? Just be polite, and don't put worms in their shoes" I smiled and tapped her nose, making her smile back at me and as we were about to get up, I heard my name being shouted loudly, coming from Carmilla's room. I rushed up and knocked on the door, before entering and stopped in my tracks staring at the sight in front of me. Carmilla was on the floor, her arms and legs entangled in her dress, the corset wrapped tightly around her waist, making her chest look like it was about to pop.

"Oh dear" I gasped and hurried over, helping her to her feet.

"Mother has chosen the most horrendous dress for me! I look like I'm from the 1800's" Carmilla hissed, as I gently loosened her tight corset.

"You haven't even put it on properly, how do you know what you look like" I tried to make her feel better, but the dress was very dated and... puffy. We managed to persuade the dress on her, and when she looked in the mirror, her face dropped.

"I can't go down there looking like this, mother has done this on purpose, she always does this" She slunk down onto her bed and put her head in her hands.

"I don't think you look bad at all, maybe orange just isn't your colour" I suggested and her eyes quickly shot to mine with a deadly glare "Why don't we try to make some adjustments, we have at least an hour before you have to go downstairs anyway" She looked up at me with suspicious eyes, and then stood up

"Fine, make this look decent"

"A please would be nice" I murmured under my breath and she just gave me another glare. Looking at the dress, I realised that it was only the top half that made it look, well, horrible. The top half of the dress was orange and puffy, whereas the bottom half was a long white skirt, I could have something to work with. "Scissors?"

After half an hour, of completely removing the top half of the dress, cutting the bottom half so it didn't drape across the floor and sewing in a blue peter pan collared shirt that I found discarded in her wardrobe, the dress was now complete and it looked, not to be conceited, but amazing!

"Wow" Carmilla smiled as she looked in the mirror "You've got a secret talent Hollis, now let me do my makeup and hair" I had to admit I was disappointed by her lack of thanks, but I could tell she was grateful, even if she didn't show it. After I left the room, I returned to the girls room and shortly after, Carmilla followed. When she entered the room, my heart fluttered and I felt like my legs were going to give in, why I was feeling this way, was completely unknown to me.

"Mother said we have to be downstairs now" She spoke and the girls ran to her, grabbing both of her hands and I followed as they walked down the stairs, all three of them looked like royalty. "Girls, you go ahead, wait for us outside the door" Carmilla released the girls hands and they hopped to the bottom step and she waited for me to get closer to her.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, my throat drying up as she gently held onto my arm

"How do I look?" She asked, biting on her lip, obviously nervous for whoever was waiting downstairs for her

"You look-" I hesitated, worried in case I say the wrong thing, or am too over the top with my affection "Um..You look very beautiful, Carmilla" I looked up into her eyes, searching for any signs that she was uncomfortable, but instead her gaze went down to below my eyes, and my cheeks began to burn.

"You don't look so bad yourself, cupcake" She smirked "Oh, and those people down there are not nice, don't be expecting handshakes and laughter" She turned around and continued walking down the stairs, leaving my heart racing.

...

I hope this was okay! Let me know what you think in the comments!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The doors opened and I was blinded by the amount of light in the room, I felt like I had just stepped into my great great grandmothers era and suddenly my dress felt stupid and completely too modern. When Mrs Karnstein told me they were only having a few guests, she had completely lied, the whole room was filled to the brim and she had really gone all out, with a full orchestra and a very loud, very beautiful dress. As I walked behind the three girls, luckily no eyes were on me, they were all focused on Carmilla, and I don't blame them at all. The orchestra went quiet and Mrs Karnstein stood on a platform in front of everyone, clinking her glass so all eyes went on her.

"Thank you all for coming, as you know, this is a big day for my beautiful daughter Carmilla! We in the Karnstein family don't arrange marriages, we let fate happen and tonight fate will tell who our dear Carmilla will have the pleasure of spending the rest of her life with" everybody applauded and I looked over to Carmilla who was politely smiling back at her mother "And remember Carmilla, you can only choose one!" Everybody burst into laughter and the orchestra started again and I quickly made my way over to Carmilla, grabbing her arm

"What the frilly hell is that?!" I burst, holding her way too tightly

"Don't start Laura, I know, it's fucked up but I cant do anything about it. It's their traditions and the way it's been for centuries, trust me when I say I wish it was different" She sharply whispered through her teeth, keeping a smile on her face for all of the guests who were greeting her. I was about to protest again, and tell her that she doesn't have to but I felt my arm being dragged away and when I looked at who it was, my heart dropped.

"Can I have this dance?" Will asked, bringing me in so I was pressed against his chest, I tried to protest but he spun me around, and as the room spun, I met Carmilla's eyes, who was also being spun around by a tall blonde gentlemen who was smiling a little too much and looking at Carmilla like she was a piece of meat, just like Will was looking at me.

"I have to get back to the girls, it's not my job to dance" I politely smiled and let go of his hand, pushing through the crowd until I found Rosemary and Alice, who were sitting on a velvet bench on the corner, looking down at their shoes. "Now why aren't you two dancing?"

"We don't feel like it" Alice shrugged, looking up at me

"Hey! I do not want to see a grumpy face on either of you two tonight, so" I held my hands out to the both of them "Will you please dance with me?"

"We don't want to look silly" Rosemary sighed

"Who cares? If you look silly, I look silly. Let's just look silly together, what do you say?" I looked at both of them, pleading and grinned when they both grabbed my hands, taking them both and spinning them around. I, of course, am the worst dancer in the world, so they turned out to be teaching me how to dance. After a while of whirling and twirling and myself falling over a lot, I felt a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around Carmilla was behind me, holding out her hand.

"Do you girls mind if I take your dancing partner away?" She asked the girls and they both shook their head, and began dancing with each other

"I think their just glad to get rid of my horrific dancing" I laughed, taking Carmilla's hand and looking up at her "Out of everyone who's offered me a dance tonight, I'm most glad you have" I said bravely, and she softly smiled back at me, placing her hand on my hip and lacing our fingers together, our feet moving to the rhythm of the music and her eyes locked in mine.

"I have talked to at least thirty men tonight, and none of them seem to make my heart race as much as it is now" Carmilla softly spoke "I don't know what it is about you"

"Maybe it's my killer dance moves" I smirked, my lip was quivering and she burst into laughter, squeezing her hand in mine. It wasn't until her mother appeared behind her, a dark scowl on her face, her eyes seemed to be drilling into mine that my mind snapped back to reality and as she loudly coughed, Carmilla eyes widened and she turned around quickly, letting go of me.

"Carmilla, dear, your not here to be dancing with our staff, who should be working" She spat, and Carmilla quickly darted away "Get the girls to bed now, and come back down here when your finished, we need someone to serve food"

"I'm sorry, ma'am" I gulped and found the girls, who were behind an old women, putting something into her purse "Girls!" I barked and they both looked up in fright, dropping whatever they had on the floor and ran towards me

"Laura, can we go up to bed now? We put a lot of...certain things in peoples bags and I don't want to be down here when they find them" Rosemary grinned mischievously and Alice giggled. I just rolled my eyes and smirked back at them, putting my finger to my lips

"I won't tell if you don't" I smiled and walked them up to bed, taking only ten minutes before they were fast asleep. As I was walking out of the room, I saw a figure at the end of the corridor, the darkness hid who it was but once they took a few steps closer, the moon light revealed his face. "Will, must you always creep up on me" I snapped and realised I had to walk past him to get to the stairs, so I quickly went towards him and pushed past him slightly as we crossed. I felt an arm reach out and grab mine and suddenly I was being pulled into a dark room, and backed up against the wall as Will forced kisses onto my lips, his hands pressing against my hips.

"I knew as soon as I met you, that you were attracted to me, I felt it as soon as you looked at me" He whispered against my lips and I would laugh, if it wasn't for the situation I was in.

"Will, let go of me...now" I cried, using my arms to push him away, but he just grabbed me tighter "Will, please" I tried to scream for help, but he just started to chuckle

"No one can hear you Laura, everyone's partying downstairs" He smirked, and as he pulled his head back to look at me, I gasped as two fangs hanged from his gums "I'm going to enjoy this"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Laura closed her eyes as she felt his breath against her neck, and two sharp pins against it. "Please" She begged and cried out as she felt the fangs go into her neck, piercing the skin. As she prepared herself to die, she heard a angry growl, followed by the pain from her neck being taken away and Will's body being removed from hers. Slowly opening her eyes, her vision was blurred a great deal, and she could barely make out the sight of someone holding Will high above them, their hand around his throat. "Touch her again and your dead" Carmilla's voice hissed before she let him go and he ran out of the room, cursing as he went. She slowly approached Laura, and brought her hand to her cheek, cautiously lifting up her head and examining the wound. Laura couldn't manage to speak, so instead she just watched Carmilla as she examined her carefully. Carmilla brought her lips to her neck and Laura flinched, backing away from her.

"This will help, I promise" Carmilla insisted softly and Laura nodded her head, her heart was beating so loud it could be heard over the music from downstairs. Even more cautiously, Carmilla brought her lips to Laura's neck and kissed down, rolling her tongue on the marks that were still bleeding out. A moan escaped Laura's mouth, and she blushed as she realised what she had done. Carmilla let go and looked up at Laura "Your all sorted, are you okay?"

"I am now, Thank you" Laura smiled up at Carmilla, but quickly started to panic as she realised the time "Your mother is going to kill us, if were not downstairs soon" Laura stood up quickly and brushed herself off, looking over at the mirror and groaning "Oh god, I look horrible"

"You look fine, are you sure you want to go downstairs? I could tell mother your ill?" Carmilla held onto her arm as they walked out of the room, frowning as Laura stumbled as they went.

"No, no, I'm okay, thank you again, for saving me" She mumbled and then ran into the kitchens, leaving Carmilla to go into the hall alone. Once Laura had gotten her heart beat down to its usual beat, and had pushed the thought of Will being a blood sucking vampire to the back of her mind, she plastered a smile on her face and took plates of food off Perry, going into the hall and placing them on the huge table that Mrs Karnstein had decorated beautifully. As Laura walked back to the kitchen to fetch another, she met Carmilla's eyes on the other end of the hall, and Carmilla mouthed 'are you okay?' and Laura nodded, her false smile spread across her face and Carmilla smiled back, winking before turning back to the man who had his arm around her waist. Once Laura was back in the kitchen, Perry grabbed her immediately.

"Laura, your awfully pale, what's wrong?" Perry took the plate off Laura and sat down, before falling into a heap of sobs and shakes "Laura?!"

"Will...he...kissed and then Carmilla and then I had to come down...and-" Laura's mumbled cries were completely impossible for Perry to understand so she waited for Laura to breath properly and asked her to start from the beginning "Will, was kissing me, and holding me so tight and he was hurting me! And if it wasn't for Carmilla, he would have...he would have-"

"Oh Laura..." Perry stroked Laura's hair and held her tight "Just leave this place Laura, find a new job, you can't stay here with him"

"I can't Perry! This job is the only thing that's keeping my father alive and I can't just quit because of Will, that means he wins!" Laura sobbed and held onto Perry.

"Guys! Mrs Karnstein's coming in here, _now! _Get up!" Lafontaine shouted and Laura and Perry both jumped up, Laura quickly wiping her eyes and they both grabbed two plates each.

"What is taking so long!" She shouted as she entered "I have guests who are waiting!" The three of them nodded and one by one left to finish the dinner table, all mumbling apologises as they passed her. For the rest of the night, Laura walked around the hall, offering glasses of champagne to the guests, luckily Will was no where to be seen, and as for Carmilla, her and Laura spent the majority of the night sharing glances and smiles at each other as Carmilla went from man to man, slowly dying inside from boredom at each one. After a few more hours, the guests started to leave and after Laura helped clean up the hall, she went to go outside to get some fresh air, so she could breath in something other than perfume and steak. She leant against the wall, looking up to the sky until she heard a quiet giggle coming from the wall behind her.

"Don't look Laura, don't be nosey, mind your own business" She told herself but of course, slowly turned around, the wall shielding her from being seen. Carmilla was against the wall, a man who looked a few years older than her was leaning against her, his lips against hers. Laura couldn't quite understand why her heart began to drop, or why her fists curled into tight balls, but she silently gasped and turned around again quickly as they both looked her way.

"I have to go now, dear Carmilla, but I'm sure I will see you again, I'll have my father arrange it immediately" He smiled, holding Carmilla's chin up with his hand

"I look forward to it" She kissed him once more on the cheek, before waiting for him to disappear and then sinking to the floor, head in her hands "I know your there Laura, your not so good at sneaking around"

Laura froze, before revealing herself from behind the wall and she sat down beside Carmilla "You like him then, huh?" She asked and Carmilla groaned

"No, he's completely disgusting, and he's rude and all he wanted to do was get into my skirt" She exclaimed

"Carmilla!" Laura gasped "Did you find any man who you liked at all today?"

"No, none at all, they were all pigs, or completely boring, or both" She sighed and Laura found a small smile etching on her lips, but it dropped when Carmilla looked up at her "How are you?"

"Better, I'm not sure how I'm going to keep on working here though, I don't think I can see him again" Laura said and Carmilla immediately frowned, a look of desperation in her eyes

"Please don't quit, please, I need you" The burst of kindness seemed to take them both by surprise, and Carmilla looked away from Laura, rubbing the back of her neck "I mean, the girls need you, they've never liked one of their carers before and they need you...please, don't leave, Will won't bother you again"

"I'm flattered" Laura smiled, before reaching out to hold Carmilla's hand "And, I'm sure your mother will give you time before you have to choose a man, and if she doesn't, well- me and you can run away together" She giggled

"I'd like that very much" Carmilla smiled and looked down at their hands which were entwined together, until she heard Laura's name being called my her mother and then she quickly let go and Laura shot up.

"I'm glad that were friends now" Laura spoke quickly, before leaning over and kissing Carmilla on the cheek "See you tomorrow" Carmilla watched Laura run away as she held her cheek, which felt like it was burning from Laura's touch

"Sweet dreams" She smiled, before deciding to stay out and watch the stars for a while longer.


	9. Chapter 9

TW: Abuse briefly mentioned.

Chapter 9

For the first time, in a long time, Carmilla woke up with a smile on her face, possibly because when she woke up, she didn't have a mother screaming in her face, maybe because she knew that Will wouldn't be coming back for a long time, or perhaps it was because she had dreamt of Laura. She smoothly got out of bed and pulled a blanket around her, checking her appearance and then walking up the stairs and was about to enter the girls room when she heard music being played from inside. She slowly peaked her head around the door, and a smile crept on her face as she watched Laura and the girls dancing around the room, singing and hopping from bed to bed. If it was a week ago, Carmilla would have stormed in there, grabbed her record player and screamed at them for stealing but instead she leant her head against the door and watched the beauty of what was inside. Alice stood on the bed and Laura held her arms out, catching her and spinning her around, making her uncontrollably giggle. Rosemary announced that she was next and instead of spinning her around, Laura put her on her shoulders, running around the room before dropping her on the bed, and tickling her stomach. The feelings Carmilla was going through, were completely foreign and new, every time she saw Laura smile, her stone heart began to crumble and bounce around the whole of her body. Carmilla knew Laura would never return these feelings for her, as she had treated Laura so awfully in the past and who could love a moody teenager who stayed in their room all day and night. Laura was a bundle of sunshine and Carmilla was a dark monster, these opposites could not attract.

"Carmilla" She heard a sharp voice behind her and jumped around immediately "Tell the girls to keep the music down, and stop jumping around, I can hear every creak from my office"

"Yes mother" Carmilla nodded and entered the room once her mother had walked away "Sorry to ruin the fun, but the music has to go, mothers orders" Carmilla rolled her eyes and the girls whined in harmony as Laura stopped the record.

"It's okay! We can go outside into the gardens and listen to it, want me to ask Perry to make a picnic?" Laura suggested and all the girls nodded "Are you coming with us Carmilla?"

"Yes, if...that's okay?" She responded quickly and Laura grinned

"Of course! I'll go get Perry to sort the food out" Laura said but Carmilla stopped her

"I'll go, you get the girls sorted" She smiled and Laura looked pleasantly surprised, watching as Carmilla hurried out the door. As Carmilla waltzed downstairs, she made a sharp yell as her mother came out from a doorway and into her path.

"A gentleman from last night has requested to see you today, so after you have been out with your sisters, I will expect you to be back here and waiting for your suitor" She instructed and Carmilla's insides twisted and turned, dreading the prospect of meeting the man again

"Yes mother" Carmilla nodded

"And Carmilla, if I were you, I would stay away from our work staff, they will be no good for you" As quick as she had arrived, she had disappeared and left her daughter to be frozen to the spot until she realised Laura was waiting for her and then rushed into the kitchen.

-In the gardens-

It was around 1pm and as Laura promised, the records softly played from the record player and the two girls danced in circles around it, giggling and singing along. Both Laura and Carmilla were resting against a tree, Carmilla reading from one of her books as Laura listened, fascinated not by the story but how beautiful it was to hear Carmilla speak.

"Laura, if it had not been for you" Alice panted as she sat down beside Laura and Carmilla, forcing Carmilla to close the book "We would have still had Mrs Stupid"

"Mrs Stupid?" Laura glanced at Carmilla who was smirking

"Mrs Cupid was our last carer, she was the dullest and most ignorant woman we had ever met" Carmilla groaned

"No music, no singing, no dancing, even when we laughed she looked at us horrid" Rosemary piped in, taking a seat by Carmilla's feet

"She sounds the worst, good job you've got me" Laura grinned and the three girls nodded in agreement "If you don't mind me asking, why does your mother insist on such an ancient way of living anyway, why the house and the party and the marriage, it's hard to understand"

"Mother doesn't understand that times are changing" Carmilla spoke quietly, choosing carefully the words she said "The Karnstein's have always been outcasts, living away from modern civilian life"

"I wish we did live somewhere nice, in a neighbourhood with lots of other children to play with, and a place to go shopping and a place to dance at" Alice sighed "I read in a newspaper of girls going out and partying with boys and I wish we could do that"

"Laura, this can't get back to mother, you have to promise me" Carmilla looked deep into Laura's eyes and Laura held out her little finger

"Pinky promise" Laura smiled and Carmilla eyes rolled as they joined their fingers, shaking on it.

"I plan on running away with the girls, soon, not yet, but soon" Carmilla whispered and Laura's eyes widened

"Where are you going to go?"

"Anywhere, somewhere where our mother can't find us! And I don't have to marry anyone, and I can do what I like, and I can use my own money to buy my own clothes and the girls can go to school for real, and make real friends and, well a life without mother is a much better life"

"That sound's like a brilliant idea" Laura smiled "How long have you been planning this?"

"Longer than I can remember, I can't remember not wanting to move away! I've been slowly saving up money, taking it from mother whenever I can, not like she notices, but when I have enough to last us, and I know how to get there and where to go, I plan to run" Carmilla's eyes had panned away from Laura and were staring into the distance, like she was picturing her life to come.

"Tell them what were going to do when we get there Carmilla!" Alice grinned

"When we get there, we are going to get a kitten, and name it...Sprinkles" Carmilla blushed and Alice cheered, wrapping her arms around Carmilla

"Good plan! But for now you, Carmilla have a gentlemen to meet with, and I believe he has planned to take you out for a stroll in the park" Laura smirked and Carmilla rolled her eyes, and flopped to the floor, rolling her tongue out and shutting her eyes

"I've died, I can't go" Carmilla whispered and Laura laughed, kneeling beside Carmilla and gesturing the two girls to go either side of her and at the count of three, they all began to jump on Carmilla, tickling her until she begged for it to stop. Laura however, did not and Carmilla had to tackle her to the ground, ending up on top of Laura, as soon as they realised that their faces were dangerously close to each other, the laughing stopped and Laura dropped her hands to her side, looking up at Carmilla. "This just gives me more of a reason to stay" She spoke, before realising her sisters were behind her and then jumped up, wiping herself to get rid of the grass. Once Laura had composed herself, they all packed their things and walked inside, putting it all in the girls room and then leaving Rosemary and Alice with Lafontaine as it was time for their schooling.

"I'm sorry Carmilla, but you have to go, no excuses" Laura linked her arm with Carmilla's as they walked "And I'm going home at ten tonight, but in the morning, you can tell me all about it"

"I wont tell you anything about it because I'm not going" Carmilla pouted, folding her arms together

"Stop being a child!" Laura giggled and Carmilla stayed silent until she suddenly turned to face Laura and picked her up, throwing her across her shoulder and barged into the nearest room while Laura kicked and tried to get down "Carmilla! Put me down!" Laura was then thrown into darkness and Carmilla quickly followed, closing a door behind them and locking it from the inside

"I'm sorry I had to do that, but were staying in here and I'm not letting us out until I know it's over" Laura could see Carmilla's grin through the darkness and as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she realised that there were clothes hanging above her and shoe boxes around her in the enclosed space, making Carmilla and Laura's bodies squashed together.

"You've trapped me in a wardrobe because you don't want to go on a stupid date?" Laura rolled her eyes as Carmilla nodded "Unbelievable, and you've chosen the smallest wardrobe in existence _and_ who the hell has a wardrobe that locks from the inside?!"

"It's a long story" Carmilla's face suddenly went vacant and she took a deep breath "But, I suppose we have a long time! Okay, my mother was once married to an awful man from somewhere in Europe, after living with us for many years, he started to abuse me, almost every day and as much as I tried to fight him off, there was only so much strength I had. So, I would hide in here so he couldn't find me, after a while, the maid caught him one night when he had paid a visit to my room and she told our mother who chased him away and then called me a whore, I'm pretty sure she's had it in for me ever since. When I need some time on my own, with no one to find me, I come here"

A silence filled the small space between them and Laura's eyes began to tear up, not knowing how anyone could possibly do that to Carmilla, she tried to speak but only a squeak came out so she just wrapped her arms around her. "Your mother is wrong, and it's most definitely not your fault" Laura mumbled into Carmilla's dark hair

"I know and don't cry, I've had a long time to get over it" Carmilla smiled as she looked up at Laura, brushing a tear of her cheek "I will go downstairs, if you promise to stay over tonight, you can sleep in my bed, I'll take the floor"

"Now, what would your mother think if she knew you were giving your bed up for staff?" Laura smirked, holding on to Carmilla's hand that rested on her cheek

"I stopped wondering what mother thought of me a long time ago" Carmilla was now close to a whisper as their faces grew closer and closer, her eyes and her mind were on Laura's lips. It was not until they both heard the door swing open that Laura opened her eyes wide and Carmilla brought her hand to her mouth, pressing gently against it. A humming then began, and they both let out a silent sigh of relief to the fact that it was just Perry, probably cleaning out the room, and it wasn't until they felt the wardrobe doors trying to be opened and then the sound of keys being brought out that they started to panic and in the midst of all the panic, Laura, who was the worst under pressure blurted out.

"Hello Perry!" Followed by a groan from Carmilla and a scream from the unsuspecting Perry

"Laura?! What are you doing in the wardrobe?!" She exclaimed and Carmilla unlocked the doors, making them both tumble out on the floor by Perry's feet

"We were...trying to find, Carmilla's hat" Laura smiled innocently up at her and she just shook her head

"Carmilla, your...date has been here for the past twenty minutes, I think you should go downstairs before your mother bites your head off" Perry instructed and Carmilla put her head down and left the room, following Perry's words more than she's ever listened to what her mother has said to her

"Please forget what's just happened, I don't even know myself" Laura groaned, pulling her hand to her head

"You never told me something was going on between you two!" Perry grinned, bending down to Laura "Me and Lafontaine are totally accepting and we will love you no matter what"

"No, no! It's, it's not that! Definitely not, we are good friends!" Laura protested

Perry giggled "_Very_ good friends"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Laura's P.O.V

I had rung my father to tell him I was staying over at work and after I had an earful about it, he told me he loved me and then passed his home nurse on the phone, who told me the latest of his condition and said he was improving, but still needed a lot of money for surgery, more money than we had, a lot more. After that, I put Rosemary and Alice to bed, after showing them leaflets of the museum I was taking them to tomorrow, it was an art museum and I had been waiting to go forever. I was so exciting to spend time with Carmilla and maybe we could hold hands and enjoy art and I could show Rosemary and Alice my favourite artists! It was true what Perry and Lafontaine had been winding me up about all last night, I had a big crush on Carmilla, the way boys used to have crushes on me. When I see her my stomach flips, and my heart stops beating and my head start to fuzz and, well, I'd never ever thought I would feel this way for her, but I have and I plan to tell her tonight. After she gets back from her date, which has been taking a lot more time than I thought it would. I have been sitting in her room, flipping through the books on her shelf. Mrs Karnstein thinks I'm staying in the room she laid out for me, but that room is cold and bare and doesn't have Carmilla in it. Plus, I was still vary wary of Will, and even though I've tried to ask Carmilla about it, she says that Will was insane and had a liking for biting women and that he wasn't what I said he was, and that she had got rid of him, and I trust her.

Laura had been waiting a little over two hours when Carmilla came through the door, a smile on her face and jumped back when she saw me on her bed. "Oh, hey Laura, have you been waiting for me?" I looked down and noticed a rose in her hand

"Yes, you said you wanted me to stay over" I frowned, she couldn't forget "How was your date?"

"Surprisingly good! He was super cool, and we talked about things I liked talking about, and there was no talk of marriage the whole time, he even said he wasn't fond of the idea either" As she fell backwards onto her bed, I felt my heart drop down to my shoes.

"Good" I smiled, casting my eyes to the floor "That's really good" Of course this is happening, of course she actually likes him, of course. I want to hit myself for thinking I could be anything more to her. There was silence for a while, as she went to her bathroom and changed out of her dress and into her pyjamas. When she returned she bounced onto the bed and sat down, taking my hands in hers and looking down to me.

"Are you mad at me for being late?" She pouted, tilting her head to the side and I shook my head

"No, of course not, I was the one that wanted you to go in the first place" And I tried to look happy, but I could tell my eyes were filling up

"Laura, please tell me what's wrong" She moved herself closer to me and squeezed my hands tighter "I'm...I'm sorry I tried to kiss you in the wardrobe, I don't know what I was thinking"

"No, no! That's definitely not the problem" I blurted out and could feel my cheeks getting hotter and hotter "Nothing is the matter, I simply miss my dad"

"Oh" Carmilla blinked "Well, if you'd like we can do something to take your mind off home?"

"Well...I have an idea" I grinned at her and she raised an eyebrow "Can we _please _go and see a movie?!"

"Oh" She repeated, before bursting into laughter, for reasons I'm unsure of "Sure, let's do it"

"We'll have to sneak out though, and I've never done that before, and since I'm kind of petrified of your mother, this will be ten times harder"

"Don't worry, I've been sneaking out for years" Carmilla winked, before going into her closet and throwing me a cute pink tea dress and grabbing a black one out for herself and after putting them on, Carmilla grabbed my hand and then grabbed her purse and pulled me through the corridor, and we escaped out of a small window that led out onto the small roof and Carmilla jumped down and then it was my turn. I knew I was only a little way away from the ground, so I closed my eyes and jumped and Carmilla caught me in her surprisingly strong arms, assisting me down to the floor. "Good jump"

Carmilla insisted that she knew her way, and when I got tired she pulled me up on her back and carried me the rest of the way, when we reached the theatre despite insisting we watch 'singing in the rain', Carmilla begged to watch the 'werewolf of London' and as much as I hated horror movies, and even if it was my first ever trip to the theatre, If Carmilla was happy, I suppose I was too. And she said that next time we come, we can watch that and I liked that promise.

We sat down by the back and because we were already late, the movie had started so everyone was telling us to be quiet as we giggled over trying to see in the dark. About an hour into the movie, I was screaming and cowering into Carmilla who was just laughing at me every time I jumped from the horrible sights that were on the screen. "I don't think I like the theatre" I whispered into Carmilla's hair as I was practically sitting on her knee so the horrible werewolf on screen wouldn't get me and she looked down at me, a slight frown on her face before she carefully brought my face up to hers and placed a kiss on my lips, it was soft and gentle and made my mind explode and fireworks set off inside my body. "Liking them a little more now" I giggled and a smile spread across her face

"I've seen this plenty of times, let's go watch your movie" Carmilla grinned and I practically exploded out of my seat, grabbing her hand and running out of the room into screen number 2, just in time to hear the first music number. Throughout the film, I could see Carmilla's eyes rolling, and hear her mumble under her breath, but most of the time she wasn't looking at the screen, she was looking at me and smiling.


End file.
